Rise of the King
by Burning Shadow Wolf
Summary: After tragedy strikes the Yuki family, Jaden is left orphaned. Taken in and raised as the son of the King of Games, Jaden set's out for Duel Academy. But an ancient evil is stirring, one that threatens all of humanity... one that is all too familiar. Jaden must unravel the mysteries of his past if this evil is to be defeated once and for all. He must become a King once more...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone, I'm publish this alongside my other new story, How to Train Your Dragonborn. I decided to try my hand at a regular Yu-Gi-Oh GX story instead of a crossover, and I have to stay, personally, I really like how it's developing so far.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think.**

**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.**

**Chapter 1- Jaden Yuki-Muto!**

"_Come on mom and dad! Hurry up!" said six-year-old Jaden Yuki as he ran ahead of his parents. Just a few days ago, the family of three received a package in the mail. The package were the cards that Jaden had drawn and submitted for KaibaCorp's card design contest, and a letter stating that Jaden had won the contest. Also included, were invitations for the family to visit and tour KaibaCorp, before being chauffeured to the satellite launch site. Needless to say, Jaden had been ecstatic, and much to his parent's bemusement, had not been able to sit still for more then five minutes ever since._

"_Calm down Jaden," his father said with a chuckle. "KaibaCorp isn't going anywhere; and it's not like they're going to launch the satellite without your cards," he finished, gesturing to the stack of cards in his son's hand._

_Unknown to the Yuki parents, there was another individual tagging along with the family. This person, or spirit rather, was known as Yubel, and hers was the first duel monster's card that Jaden ever owned, and subsequently, his favorite. She bore a frightening appearance that would've easily scared any other who saw her; a black skin-tight suit covered most of her form, with the exception of her right leg and her midriff, which left her sickly-pink skin exposed. Her hair possessed two distinct colors, split evenly down the middle, the left side being a vibrant blue, while the right was a fine silver. If all of that wasn't enough, her eyes were another source that added to her demonic appearance. Heterochromatic eyes, one yellow, one a pale blue-green, watched Jaden with care and amusement, while a third eye, placed vertically in the center of her forehead moved randomly in all directions, constantly alert for any threats to her king._

_Though he didn't know why or how, Jaden had always been able to see and communicate with Yubel, even though no one else he knew ever could. All Yubel would ever tell him when he asked, was that he was very special, and that he would find out when he was older. He always pouted whenever she told him that, much to her amusement._

'Your father's right Jaden. There's no need to hurry,'_ said Yubel as she floated alongside her charge. Blowing his one and only friend a raspberry, Jaden continued on ahead, forcing his parents to jog slightly to keep up with their hyperactive son._

_With his mind clouded by excitement, Jaden rounded a corner without looking, only to wind up in some kind of alleyway. _'Jaden, look out!' _Yubel's warning reached the young boy too late as he tripped and fell, the cards in his hand scattering all around. _'Are you okay Jaden?'

"_Yeah, I think so… oww!" as he tried to get back up, a lance of pain went through his knee. Looking down, he noticed that his fall had ripped his jeans, and his knee was scraped up and bloody. "That really hurts," placing his hands over his knee to try and block out the pain, Jaden's eyes widened as he noticed all of his cards scattered around him, "My cards!" Ignoring the pain in his knee, he reached out and picked up the one nearest him, looking at his drawing of a silver suited hero with a pronounced fin on top of his head. "At least they're not ruined."_

_While Jaden was focused on his cards, Yubel looked behind him to see the thing that he had tripped over. Her heterochromatic eyes widened when she noticed what it was. _'Jaden, we need to…' _it was too late though, as Jaden turned around to pick up another of his cards, only to freeze when he caught site of what was behind him. The body of a young woman, a teenager, was sprawled out on the ground near the alley wall. She was bleeding from multiple holes in her chest, forming a small puddle of blood._

"_Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a deep voice sounded throughout the alley. Jaden and Yubel whipped around to see a large man, dressed in a tattered leather jacket and jeans. In his hand was a pistol, and the gleam in his eyes was enough for even the young, naive Jaden to figure out what his intentions were. "Don't even think about it, kid," the man raised his gun and pointed it directly at Jaden the moment he moved to stand up, "Can't have you running off now that you've seen my face."_

_Yubel cursed her powerlessness in this situation. As a spirit, her powers were extremely limited compared to her original body. The only time when she was capable of using any of her powers was when Jaden played her card in a duel, and unconsciously transferred his latent power into her temporarily. But here and now, she was as useful to her king as a duelist without a deck. She couldn't even shield him properly; any physical object would simply pass right through her!_

"_Jaden!" an alarmed cry from the end of the alley rang out, startling Jaden and Yubel into turning around. That was all the chance the thug needed, as he rushed forward, grabbing Jaden in a choke hold, eliciting a cry of pain from the child._

"_Move and the boy dies!" to emphasize his point, he pressed the gun against Jaden's temple, ceasing the boys struggling. Jaden's parents could scarcely breath, too afraid of doing something that might get their little boy shot._

_Unseen by any except for Jaden, Yubel was frantically swinging her claws at his captor, in a futile attempt to save her beloved king. Tears poured from her yes at every failed strike, her transparent claws simply passing through the thug with no effect. She couldn't lose her king, not again!_

"_Look, let's all just… calm down," Jaden's father said, as he took a cautious step forward, his hands raised in a calming manner. "We'll give you whatever you want, just please, let my son go."_

_Smirking, the thug tightened his grip on Jaden, startling the boy back into trying to break free. "Maybe you should take your own advice, pops. I'm perfectly calm. Now stay where you are, or I'll put a bullet through his skull." Jaden's father could do nothing else but oblige, taking a step back to stand next to his crying wife. "Good, now drop all of your valuables. Purse, wallet, watch, everything, and I might let the little guy go."_

_Jaden's eyes widened at that, doubling his efforts at breaking free. He remembered what the man had said when he first appeared, and knew that he was lying about letting them go! He wasn't going to let them go, he was going to hurt all of them, and it was all his fault! If only he had been paying attention to where he was going, none of this would have happened! _'Yubel! Do something!' _he mentally cried to his friend, wishing that she would hurt this thug like she had hurt some of his dueling opponents before._

'I'm trying Jaden, but nothing's working!' _she cried, her tears flying around as she continued her futile attempts at striking down their assailant._

_Grunting as one of Jaden's flailing legs managed to kick him in the knee, the thug glared at the squirming child in his grip. "Hold still you little shit," when Jaden ignored him and continued his struggling, he growled, glancing at the couple standing just inside the alley. "Screw it, I don't have time for this."_

"_No, please don't hurt him!" Jaden's mother cried when they noticed the man tightening his grip on the weapon. Desperation over taking them, both parents ran forward, attempting to reach the pair before the man could pull the trigger._

_Time seemed to slow as the thug turned his attention to the charging parents. Jaden felt the gun being pulled away from his head, only to be aimed at his parents. Eyes widening in terror, he attempted to shout a warning to his parents, but it was all for naught._

_Two loud cracks rang throughout the alley._

_Jaden and Yubel watched in horror as the bodies of Jaden's parents fell, never to rise again. Tears gathered in the young boys' eyes, as he beheld the sight of his parent's murder. They were dead. They were dead because of him. Murdered in cold blood. By the man holding him captive._

_The last living Yuki felt his grief and sadness begin to ebb away, slowly being replaced by a burning anger. He had never hated anything as much as he hated the man behind him. The mere thought of the man filled him with an uncontrollable rage… one he was all too willing to let burst free._

_All of a sudden, time sped back up. The irises of Jaden's eyes changed to a honey gold, before the alleyway was consumed in darkness._

Jaden awoke with a gasp, sitting upright in his bed as he panted. His body was covered in a cold sweat as it always was whenever his dreams made him relive that horrible day. The day his parents were ruthlessly taken from him, the day his life was forever changed. Throwing the blankets off, the sixteen-year-old duelist swung his legs over the side of his bed, and held his head in his hands as he steadied his breathing.

Ten years. Ten long years, and still the memories haunted him as if it were just yesterday. He doubted he would ever fully recover from the incident, but if there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was to always keep fighting, no matter what.

'_Jaden, are you alright?' _glancing up from his place on the bed, Jaden offered a small smile to his loyal spirit companion. Yubel smiled slightly in return, though her concern for him was apparent in her eyes. He could never hide anything from her, even if he tried. She understood him better than anyone else, and could always tell when he was hurting.

"I'm fine Yubel, just had a nightmare is all," he said, trying to push the memories of that day out of his mind and get ready for the day. It was clear that Yubel didn't buy his half-assed excuse, but she let it slide, knowing that forcing the subject would only upset Jaden even more.

After a refreshing shower, Jaden towel dried his dual colored hair, letting the ends spike up naturally behind him. Returning to his room, the teen duelist put on his clothes of choice before heading downstairs for some breakfast. Casual black slacks along with a matching jacket, that flared out at the end was the typical uniform for the school he had been attending, and he had gotten somewhat used to wearing the outfit so often. Rounding off his outfit with a simple red t-shirt underneath his open jacket, Jaden made his way downstairs.

"Jaden!" a brown and pink missile colliding with his abdomen greeted the teen as he stepped into the kitchen. Smiling at the missile, which was revealed to be a young girl, Jaden wrapped his arms around her and picked her up in a hug.

"Morning Mana," he said with a smile. Walking over to the table, he set the eight-year-old girl down in her seat before taking the one next to her. Like him, Mana was dressed in the girl's uniform for her school; a pink buttoned coat over a white oxford shirt, and a blue, knee length pleated skirt. The most distinctive thing about her appearance though, had to be her hair. Her long brown locks, a color she shared with her mother, flowed downward sporadically to the base of her neck, a trait definitely inherited from her father. "Ready for school?"

Mana pouted, and crossed her arms petulantly. "No," she grumbled, "I don't want to go to school today, I want to go with you and watch your entrance duel."

"Now Mana, we talked about this," a new voice said as the owner, one Téa Muto formerly Gardner, walked in from the kitchen, carrying two plates of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Instantly, Jaden's mouth began to water as the delicious aroma of food reached his nostrils. No matter how upset he might be from his nightmare, Téa's cooking always managed to bring him out of whatever funk he might have been in. "You know you can't simply skip school to go watch your brother duel."

"Yeah, I know," the young girl reluctantly admitted as she began to eat, "Doesn't mean I have to like it though."

Swallowing the food, Jaden reached over and patted the young brunettes head lightly. "Don't worry Mana, I'll record my duel so you can watch it tonight, sound good?"

"Really?" when Jaden nodded, she threw her arms up with a cheer, "Yes! You're the best big brother ever!"

Téa smiled as she watched the interaction between the two siblings. Even though they weren't related by blood, they were still very close, and cared for each other just as any regular siblings would. Movement from the corner of her eye brought her attention to the duel spirit watching the scene with a fond smile of her own. It never ceased to amaze her just how caring Yubel was when it came to Jaden and his happiness, despite her rather demonic appearance. Catching the spirits eye, she gave her a warm smile, which Yubel returned with a grateful one of her own.

The sound of the front door opening and closing drew the occupant's attention to the entrance of the final member of their small family. Yugi Muto smiled softly as he walked into the kitchen and found his family all together. He was garbed in his preferred casual clothes, consisting of a pair of dark blue pants with a long-sleeved black shirt. Over this he had on a gray sleeveless jacket, with dark blue accents along the edges. He still wore his signature studded, buckled collar, along with matching bracelets and belt, that was fed through the loops properly. A second belt hung off his hip, holding his deck case in place on his right.

"Morning daddy!" as usual, Mana's exuberance led her to be the first one to speak.

Chuckling, Yugi took a seat next to his wife, after giving her a quick kiss in greeting. "Good morning Mana, ready for school?" Jaden, Téa, and Yubel couldn't help but laugh as Mana pouted once more. It seemed she was hoping she could try and convince her dad to overrule Téa and let her go with Jaden. Calming his own chuckles down, Yugi turned to his adopted son, "Morning Jaden, ready for the exam today?"

"You know it," Jaden answered with a confidence that had both Yugi and Téa smiling. If there was one thing Jaden excelled at, it was dueling. Yugi, having seen the potential Jaden possessed when they had first met and took it upon himself to teach him everything he knew about the game. Now, Jaden was perhaps one of the top duelists in the country, if not the world. The only reason he hadn't gone pro already, was because Yugi and Téa both wanted Jaden to have as normal a childhood as possible. After everything that had happened to him, and all of the responsibilities that came about because of it, he deserved as much normality in life as could be had.

"Then I can only wish you the best of luck. I know you'll do us all proud son."

"Thanks, dad. That means a lot to me." Jaden's heartfelt reply brought even brighter smiles to his adoptive parents faces. The times when Jaden called either of them 'mom and dad' were few and far between, and they cherished every one of those moments. Mana, picking up on her brother's mood, leaned into his side and gave him a hug, one which he gladly returned.

Glancing at the clock, Téa stood up from her seat, taking everyone's dirty dishes with her and placing them in the sink. "Well we better get going soon or we'll be late. We still need to drop Mana off at school before we get you over to the testing center Jaden." Her children nodded, both of them gathering their things. "You going to come with us Yugi?"

"Not this time, unfortunately," the King of Games said as he stood up and gave her another kiss on the cheek, "Kaiba asked me to stop by as soon as possible to help run through some final checks of the new prototype duel disk they've been working on."

"Okay, have fun, and tell Kaiba and Mokuba I said hi."

Jaden and Mana chose that moment to walk back into the room, each with a backpack hanging off their shoulders, and in Jaden's case, a duel disk strapped to his arm. "Mom, did you just use the words 'Kaiba' and 'fun' in the same sentence?" said teen asked with a smirk, eliciting a giggle from his sister and a chuckle from the elder Muto's, "I didn't think that was possible."

"Alright you two, ready to go?" asked Téa.

"Yep, all set." Mana simply nodded while her brother answered. With some more hugs all around, the three headed towards the garage and got into one of the Muto family's cars, a vibrant red Chevrolet Camaro convertible. As they pulled out of the garage and started down the road, Jaden took the time to close his eyes and reminisce about how much his life had changed.

As fate would have it, Yugi and Téa had been nearby on a date when the incident in the alley occurred. Yugi, having an intimate understanding of the nature of Shadow Games, had easily sensed and recognized the power that had erupted from Jaden, even from a couple blocks away. They had arrived shortly after to find the alley completely destroyed, and an unconscious Jaden lying at the heart of the devastation, with nothing else in sight, except for his faithful guardian.

Yubel had begged them to help, and they had been all too willing to do so. They had taken Jaden to a nearby hospital for treatment, and while he was being cared for, Yugi had questioned Yubel about the power he had sensed previously. Though she was hesitant at first, clearly still upset about what had happened, she had eventually relented and told the couple of what had transpired in the alley, and what it signified for her young charge.

To say the young couple were horrified at what had transpired was an understatement. That a child had witnessed his parents' murder first hand was heartbreaking, but they had sworn then and there that they would do everything they could to help. To that end, Yugi had immediately contacted the two people he knew could be of the most help in this situation, Seto Kaiba and Maximillion Pegasus. Kaiba had felt especially responsible for what happened, seeing as it was his contest that had ultimately caused the Yuki family to wind up in the situation they did. In an attempt to help make up for what happened, Kaiba had sent his own personal security to investigate the scene, while his companies' lawyers put together a legal defense in case some moron decided to place blame for what happened on a traumatized six-year-old.

Pegasus had surprisingly been in town on business when he received the call, and had rushed over to the hospital as soon as he could. When he arrived, he had asked Yubel if there was anything, she could think of that might help make Jaden happy. He wanted to do what he could to help ease the pain of loss that awaited the young boy when he finally awoke. Yubel had told him about how excited Jaden was about his card designs winning KaibaCorp's contest, and that he hoped that one day they would be made into real, official cards. Sadly, most of those designs had been destroyed when Jaden awakened and unleashed his powers, all except for one, Elemental Hero Neos. The former holder of the Millennium Eye immediately offered to personally create the card himself, something Yubel knew Jaden would be incredibly grateful for.

It took two days for Jaden to wake up, and in that time, Yubel had not left his side once. Much to her surprise, the Muto's had been a constant presence in Jaden's hospital room as well. They had been present when Jaden woke, and had sat with him as he cried and grieved over the loss of his family. Not long after Jaden had woken up, Pegasus had arrived, and much to the young boy's surprise, had presented him with the only existing copy of the new Elemental Hero Neos. Thankfully, the creation of Neos had done what everyone hoped it would, brought a much-needed source of joy into Jaden's life.

That joy however, took a small hit the following day. When it came time for Jaden to be released from the hospital, social services had been ready at the door, waiting to cart Jaden off to a foster home. The thought of going to live with complete strangers, people he had never even met was a terrifying thought, especially after everything he had just been through. Téa easily picked up on this, and had generously offered Jaden the choice of coming to stay with her and Yugi, an offer the young boy readily accepted, having become somewhat attached to the couple over their time together.

Time passed, and slowly Jaden had come to truly think of the Muto's household as home. The young couple were kind, caring, and always did their best to include Jaden in whatever it was they were doing. It was a couple of months after the incident, on Jaden's seventh birthday, when Yugi and Téa had given him the best gift he could've ever asked for.

The chance to, officially, be a part of a family again.

When they had shown him the adoption papers, he couldn't keep his joy and happiness contained. He had tackled them both in the fiercest hug a seven-year-old could muster, all the while muttering 'yes' over and over again. That day, Jaden had legally become a member of the Muto family, and he couldn't have been happier.

Jaden was pulled from his reminiscing as the car came to a stop. They had stopped in front of Mana's school, Domino Elementary. "Alright Mana, have a good day at school," Téa said as she turned around to face her daughter.

"I'd still rather go watch Jaden duel." Despite her obvious reluctance, Mana unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned forward to give her mom a kiss on the cheek. "Love you mom."

"Love you too dear. I'll be here to pick you up after school ends."

"Ok," turning to her brother, the young girl gave him the best hug she could from the backseat, "Love you big bro; make sure to kick some butt in your duel!"

Grinning, Jaden placed a kiss on top of his sister's head, returning the hug. "Love you too sis, and you can bet I will." With one last smile, Mana hopped out of the car and went over to join a group of her friends as they walked into the school together.

From the school it didn't take long to reach the testing center, a domed building situated on top of a small hill at the edge of town. They drew a fair bit of attention from the students in line at the registration table as they pulled up. Putting the car in park, Téa gave her oldest a bright smile as he gave his deck a quick shuffle before inserting it into his duel disk. "All set?"

"You know it," Jaden said with a smirk, eager to face his next challenge. He had developed quite the competitive streak from training with his adoptive father, and he always relished dueling a strong opponent.

"Then get in there and show them what Jaden Yuki-Muto can do."

Smiling, Jaden wrapped his adoptive mother in a hug, one she gladly returned. "Thanks mom, I'll make you and dad proud. Promise."

"You already have sweetie." With that parting statement, Téa placed a kiss on Jaden's forehead before he got out of the car and made his way over to the registration table.

Ignoring the curious looks from his fellow applicants, Jaden waited patiently for his turn to register. Taking the time to observe his potential future classmates, he noted the air of nervous anticipation that seemed to radiate from everyone around him. Jaden hid a smirk as the line slowly moved forward; he could understand why everyone seemed so nervous, after all Duel Academy was a place that could make or break a career in the pro-leagues, and no one wanted to mess up their chances of getting accepted. Even though he understood their fears, he still had to wonder why everyone seemed so nervous about this part of the test, after all, it was just another duel as far as he was concerned.

'_It may be just another duel to you Jaden,' _Yubel began as she appeared on her kings right, smirking as well. _'But you have to remember, not everyone has been trained by the King of Games since childhood.'_

'_I know that Yubel, but still, this should be the easy part of the test. I was more nervous during the written exam.' _Yubel had to suppress a smirk as Jaden gave off a small shiver at the mention of written tests. It wasn't that he lacked intelligence or anything, quite the opposite in fact, but Jaden had never been a fan of any kind of written assessment, preferring instead to demonstrate what he had learned through practical application.

Turning away from his faithful duel spirit as he reached the front of the line, Jaden gave his name to the attendants, signed in and quickly made his way inside, ignoring the looks he was getting from everyone that had heard his name.

"Sometimes I really wish they'd stop with all the damn staring," Jaden mumbled, as he walked up to the barrier leading to the stands overlooking the massive dueling arena below. There was a total of four full-sized dueling fields in the arena, each one currently sectioned off to prevent participants from being distracted. All of them were currently in use with applicants taking on duel proctors to determine whether or not they'd make it into the illustrious school.

'_You're the eldest son of two major celebrities, it would be more surprising if they didn't stare at you.'_

Jaden gave his guardian a light withering glare, having caught the humor in her tone. Sighing in exasperation as she flashed him a smirk, he turned back to looking around the arena. One thing that immediately caught his attention was the number of students already dressed in Academy blazers occupying the stands. Most likely the upperclassman interested in seeing how the new freshman stack up. Smirking at the thought, Jaden turned back to watching the duels as he waited for his turn, _'If they want to see what we freshman can do, I'll be happy to show them.'_

Hearing the silent declaration, Yubel's previous smirk grew into a vicious grin, now even more eager to watch her king decimate some poor fool in a duel.

In another part of the arena, the typical stands were replaced with several rows of benches with counter tops placed in front. This was the area where the members of the Duel Academy staff sat and evaluated each of the duels as they occurred. Sitting among the general Academy staff was an individual that at first glance many would have incorrectly identified as a woman, given his long blonde ponytail and the makeup he had on. Dr. Vellian Crowler watched on with his arms crossed, as another applicant managed to barely scrape out a victory. _'Another slacker for the Academy,' _he thought with disdain. Even though he was the Vice-Chancellor of Duel Academy, and had a fair bit of sway in determining an applicant's dorm, it wasn't enough in his mind.

The only way to prevent those he believed to be slackers from entering the Academy was for them to lose their entrance duel. Sadly, since all duel proctors were required to use an exam deck, it was fairly common for applicants to pass. As he pondered on the 'injustice' of having slackers in _his_ academy, one of the members of the hired security team approached and handed over a list of the next batch of applicants that had arrived to take their tests. A sudden thought occurred to Crowler as his colleagues began looking over the list of names, and pairing the students off against proctors.

"Pardon me gentlemen," his rather grating voice immediately caught their attention, "But I'm starting to become a little stiff just sitting up here. Inform the duel proctor for Field 4 that I will be taking over for a while to loosen up a bit." Though they were surprised by the sudden decision, none of the staff had the courage to question the Vice-Chancellor about it.

Absently picking up one of the test decks, Crowler smirked as he made his way down to the dueling field. _'It's time I showed these slackers that they don't belong here at Duel Academy.'_

The stands had slowly started to fill up as more and more applicants arrived to take their test. Jaden paid those around him little mind, keeping most of his focus on the duels taking place as he waited for his turn. He had already noted several people that he thought would be interesting to duel in the future.

An explosion drew the reincarnated king's attention to the dueling field below where he was standing. He frowned slightly when he saw yet another applicant being defeated by the fields new blonde-haired duel proctor.

"Jeez, that's the fifth person that guys failed. Talk about harsh." What was even worse in his opinion was that the guy didn't even seem to care that he had essentially just crushed an aspiring duelists chance at furthering his career. Even going as far as to try and demean the poor kid with some snide comments.

"That's Dr. Crowler," a rather timid voice said from his right. Turning to see the speaker, Jaden found a cyan-haired teen with round glasses resting on his nose. He was dressed in his own school uniform; a navy-blue turtle-neck coat and matching pants with plain sneakers. What really made him stand out was his shorter stature, just reaching Jaden's shoulder in height. "He's the head of the Obelisk Blue Boy's Dorm, and he's got a reputation for disliking anyone that's not already an Obelisk."

"Wow, sounds like a real asshole to me," Jaden's blunt statement surprised his companion, especially since it was in regards to one of their future teachers. "Oh, my name's Jaden by the way."

"Syrus Truesdale," the now named Syrus replied. "Anyway Jaden, have you dueled yet?"

Jaden shook his head in the negative. "Not yet."

"You nervous?"

"Nope. Dueling's what I'm best at," he said with confidence. "How about you Syrus?"

"Yeah," the shorter boy said a little shakily, "Though to be honest, I'm really surprised I managed to win. See, I have this thing where I get test anxiety…" he trailed off, feeling ashamed of his perceived shortcomings.

Jaden immediately picked up on the shift in Syrus' mode. His older brother instincts kicked in as he reached over and gave Syrus a rather strong pat on the back, causing the smaller boy to stumble forward slightly. "Hey, don't get so down Syrus. You passed the test, and you're in the Academy! That's all that matters bud," he said with a smile, which got wider when Syrus returned it with a hesitant one of his own.

"_Jaden Yuki, please report to Duel Field Four. Jaden to Duel Field Four." _The sound of the intercom caught both boys' attention.

"Field Four?" exclaimed Syrus, eyes widening, "That's the field Dr. Crowler's on!"

"Well, guess I get to be the one to put an end to the good doctors winning streak." Jaden shared a smirk with Yubel, both of them eager to knock Crowler down a peg or two. The interaction went unnoticed by Syrus, who was fretting over the fact that his new friend might not get into the Academy now. Placing a firm hand on the smaller boy's shoulder, Jaden gave it a reassuring squeeze calming the boy down somewhat, "Relax Syrus, there's nothing to worry about."

"But Jaden…!" he began, only for Jaden to flash him a smirk as he made his way down to the dueling field. Syrus was surprised by the sheer confidence that Jaden seemed to have in himself, something that he silently envied. Though his worries were still present, he put them to the back of his mind, and decided to trust in Jaden. "Go get 'em Jaden."

Meanwhile, Crowler was feeling rather proud of himself, having prevented five more slackers from joining the Academy. He may have been using one of the pathetic exam decks, but that didn't prevent him from absolutely humiliating all of the second rate rejects he had faced so far. "Now if only all of the duel proctors treated their opponents like this, then we wouldn't have to worry about slackers attending this school ever again," he muttered as he waited for his next victim to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long as the platform on the opposite side of the field rose up.

Jaden stood on the opposite side of the duel field, a battle city duel disk strapped to his left arm. Now that he was closer, he honestly had to fight back a cringe as he took in his opponents' appearance. An altered Obelisk Blue blazer with gold, tasseled shoulder pads, and large pink ruffles poking out of the sleeves and collar; that combined with his odd makeup choice made for a rather unappealing visage.

'_I'm honestly not sure whether we're dealing with a confused transvestite, or an amateur crossdresser.'_ Jaden couldn't help but agree with Yubel as he readied his deck and deployed his duel disk.

"Alright, test time," Crowler began, "So, son, your name?"

"My name? They just said it loud and clear over the intercom a second ago. Or is your hearing as bad as your fashion sense?" the Academy students present gasped in shock at Jaden's bold statement, though several could be seen fighting the urge to laugh.

"I beg your pardon!?" the Obelisk Headmasters fury was almost palpable and his screech borderline deafening.

Jaden simply smirked, readying himself for his duel. "Guess I got my answer. Your hearing really is that bad."

In the stands, sitting among some other Duel Academy students, was a group of three boys, all of them garbed in the standard Obelisk Blue uniform. One member of the trio had brown, spiky hair and a slightly tanner complexion compared to his companions. "Man, talk about lip. This kid has got some attitude, don't 'cha think Chazz?"

"No kidding," the second member of the group, a bespectacled teen said. His blue hair was combed to one side, leaving a single large, wavy bang to frame the right side of his face. "With that kind of attitude, he must either be really good, or really stupid. What do you think, Chazz?"

The final teen, the aforementioned Chazz, leaned back in his seat as he observed the duel that was about to begin. "I think you're right Taiyou, this kid does seem pretty stupid. It should be pretty entertaining to watch Crowler destroy our mouthy little friend," he finished as a cruel smirk spread across his features. The trio shared a chuckle at that, each anticipating the humiliating defeat Crowler was sure to give Jaden.

Down on the field, Crowler had turned away from his opponent and was currently biting into a handkerchief. _'How dare this slacker make a mockery of me!? I am the top professor at the worlds premier dueling school, I deserve to be treated with respect!' _Casting a scathing glare at Jaden, who wasn't fazed in the slightest, Crowler decided that he wasn't going to hold back on this particular applicant. His back still facing Jaden, the Obelisk Headmaster subtlety pulled the exam deck out of his duel vest, and replaced it with his own personal deck.

Smirking at his own cleverness, Crowler activated his duel vest and turned to face Jaden. _'I'll show this slacker what happens when you mess with me; and since I'm using my own deck, it'll be all the sweeter when I defeat him!'_

"Duel!" both competitors declared as they drew their opening hands.

**Jaden: 4000 LP**

**Crowler: 4000 LP**

"Here we go," said Jaden as he drew his sixth card with a flourish. A familiar disembodied squeak made him blink, before he smiled at what he had drawn. _'Hey Winged Kuriboh, where have you been lately?'_ the spirit of Winged Kuriboh appeared next to Jaden and began to float around excitedly, squeaking all the while. _'Family reunion huh? Bet that was a fun time, but now, how's about helping me win this duel?'_ this time Kuriboh's squeak was decidedly more determined. Looking at his hand, Jaden smirked as he glanced at Crowler, _'Time to bring this guy down a few pegs.'_

"I'll start by summoning Winged Kuriboh, in attack mode!" as the familiar tuft of brown fur with wings appeared, a collective _'aww'_ resounded throughout the arena.

'_**Winged Kuriboh: Atk 300/Def 200, Level 1, Light Attribute, Fairy/Effect- **__**If this card on the **__**field**__** is **__**destroyed**__** and **__**sent**__** to the **__**Graveyard**__**: For the rest of this **__**turn**__**, you take no **__**battle damage**__**.'**_

Not everyone was as appreciative of Kuriboh however, as Crowler made his opinion known. "A Kuriboh?" he scoffed, "Please don't insult me. I am a master tactician, I know virtually every duel monster's technique ever devised. There is nothing to be gained by having a monster like that in your deck. Quite the amateurish mistake I must say."

"Well no one asked for your opinion, did they?" Jaden shot back. There were only two things that could really get him angry, and insulting his deck was one of them. "But whatever, not like it's gonna matter. Next, I'm going to activate the spell card Transcendent Wings. Now by sacrificing Winged Kuriboh and two cards from my hand, I can summon out Winged Kuriboh LV10!" Sliding two cards into the graveyard caused a light to envelope Winged Kuriboh. From that light, two massive, feathered wings unfurled to reveal that Winged Kuriboh was now coated in golden armor that gave him the appearance of a dragon. "Lastly, I'll place two cards facedown to protect him and call it a turn," the brunette said as he placed his remaining two cards into his spell/trap card zone.

'_**Winged Kuriboh LV10: Atk 300/Def 200, Level 10, Light Attribute, Fairy/Effect- Cannot be **__**Normal Summoned**__** or **__**Set**__**. Must be **__**Special Summoned**__** with "**__**Transcendent Wings**__**" and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. During your opponent's **__**Battle Phase**__**: You can **__**Tribute**__** this **__**face-up**__** card; **__**destroy**__** all **__**Attack Position**__**monsters**__** your opponent **__**controls**__** and inflict **__**damage**__** to your opponent equal to the combined **__**original ATK**__** of those destroyed monster(s).'**_

"Oh please," Crowler sneered as he caught the card his vest ejected, "All of that for a monster that barely has any attack points? You must be more of an amateur than I first thought. No matter, this duel will be over soon enough." Placing his new card into his hand, the gender-confused professor smirked in delight when he discovered he had all of the cards he needed to win this duel in one turn. _'Seems today is my lucky day. I can humiliate this slacker and show off the true power of my deck at the same time.'_

Up above the stands, on a private observation area, was where a select few Duel Academy students were permitted to watch the duels. Among these students, was a stunning young woman who drew a fair bit of attention from the male population. Her long, dark blonde hair flowed down to the small of her back, several bangs framing her beautiful features. Dressed in the white vest and blue miniskirt of the Obelisk Girl's uniform, she made for a stunning vision.

"He's certainly an interesting one, don't you think Zane?" she questioned her companion, her melodious voice carrying over the sounds of the stands below.

"Perhaps." Unlike most, she hardly blinked at the sharp, disinterested tone that answered her question. Stepping up to the rail revealed her companion to be a young man in his later teens. His dark blue hair fell down to the base of his neck, with a row of bangs covering his forehead, ending just above his sharp blue eyes. The typical senior Obelisk Blue Boy's uniform he wore was slightly modified, ending in two pointed coattails, making him stand out more among the crowds. "Though I can't say much about his respect for authority."

"You can't really blame the guy. I mean professor or not, you don't insult someone's deck. That's just low."

"True," Zane conceded as he crossed his arms, "But Crowler does have a point Alexis. Most Kuriboh cards aren't really worth much of anything. Makes you wonder what he's got planned."

"Whatever it is, we'll find out soon enough." Alexis said, leaning on the palm of her hand.

"Oh man, what's Jaden thinking?" Syrus exclaimed, hands on the rail in front of him, "Why would he summon that kind of monster in attack mode? Its attack points are way too low! He's practically asking to be attacked!"

"That might very well be his plan," a thick British accent spoke from the Syrus' left. The owner of the voice was revealed to be a young man dressed in a white school uniform with gray trim. His slicked back black hair was angled to the left slightly, with two silver highlights running back from his temples. "Depending on just _what _those facedown cards are, your friend could very well turn any move of Dr. Crowler's to his advantage."

"What? He wants to be attacked? Wait a sec, who're you?"

The teen's gray eyes widened slightly when he realized that he hadn't introduced himself yet. "My apologies, I'm Bastion Misawa, and you are?"

"Uhh, Syrus, Syrus Truesdale," the cyanette answered, before his eyes widened. "Wait, Bastion Misawa? You got the highest score on the written test out of all of us applicants!"

Bastion gave a small awkward grin at the declaration, before turning his attention back to the duel. "You flatter me, but right now your friend is the interesting one. He is taking a large risk, but if he's played the right cards, it could be quite the ingenious turn around."

"I sure hope so," Syrus mumbled as he turned back to the duel as well.

Crowler's smirk hadn't lessened even a little, if anything only getting wider as he held up one of the cards in his hand. "Now my young scholar, it's time to begin your first, and final lesson at this Academy! To start, I'll activate the spell card Heavy Storm! With this, I can now destroy every other spell and trap card out on the field." A strong gust of wind blew across the field, forcing Jaden to shield his face just as his two facedown's exploded into polygons.

"Well that was quick," Jaden mumbled, lowering his arms as the wind died down. _'From what I know, a card that powerful would never be used in one of the examination decks.'_

'_You're right,' _Yubel spoke from her place beside her king, _'Seems he didn't take kindly to your earlier jokes. He likely switched out the test deck for his personal deck when he had his back towards you.'_

'_Yeah, probably,'_ he conceded, though he continued to smirk, _'Still, that just means this should be more interesting.' _Smirking as well, the demonic looking spirit faded from sight, likely back into Jaden's deck to rest.

"Now let me show you a real monster! I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, in attack mode." Placing the card on his right most monster zone led to a robotic canine appearing on Crowler's right. The monster was comprised of several gears and was covered in rusted, dark green armor. "And when he is successfully normal summoned, you take six hundred points of direct damage! Sick him my hound, Canine Cannon!" Tensing its legs, the mechanized hound opened its jaws and launched a ball of energy that struck Jaden directly.

**Jaden: 3400 LP**

**Crowler: 4000 LP**

'_**Ancient Gear Hunting Hound: **__**Atk 1000/Def 1000, Level 3, Earth Attribute, Machine/Effect- **__**If this card is **__**Normal Summoned**__**: Inflict 600 **__**damage**__** to your opponent. If this card **__**attacks**__**, your opponent cannot **__**activate**__** any **__**Spell**__**/**__**Trap Cards**__** until the end of the **__**Damage Step**__**. **__**Once per turn**__**: You can **__**Fusion Summon**__** 1 "**__**Ancient Gear**__**" **__**Fusion Monster**__** from your **__**Extra Deck**__**, using **__**monsters**__** from your **__**hand**__** or **__**field**__** as **__**Fusion Materials**__**.'**_

"Hang on," said the blue haired Taiyou, "Ancient Gear monsters and Heavy Storm? Cards those powerful would never be in one of the test decks, Crowler must be using his own!"

"Well then, things just got a lot more entertaining," Chazz said with a smirk, leaning back further into his seat. "I'm really going to enjoy watching this now."

On the observation deck, Alexis did not share her fellow Obelisk's opinion. "Seriously? First he insults his deck, and now he's bullying some applicant with his very best cards? How much more of an elitist snob can you be?"

"You're being too soft Alexis," Zane said, his face as impassive as always, "I just hope we get a chance to see some of the rare cards that Crowler has stashed away in that deck of his. They're said to have some quite devastating effects." The blonde beauty simply shrugged, though she silently admitted that seeing such rare cards in action would definitely be interesting.

"But I'm far from done," the blonde man continued. "Now I'll activate his second ability. You see young scholar, once per turn, my Hound allows me to fusion summon an Ancient Gear fusion monster by using monsters from my hand or field as the materials."

"Fusion summoning without a fusion card?" Jaden couldn't completely keep the surprise out of his voice, and no one could blame him. It was rare to come across a monster that actually allowed someone to perform a fusion without the need for an actual fusion card.

"Yes!" grabbing two of his four remaining cards, the Obelisk Headmaster revealed them to his opponent. "And with the Ancient Gear Golem and Ancient Gear in my hand, along with Hunting Hound on my field, I can fusion summon the strongest monster in my deck!" Gasps rang out across the entire arena as Crowler revealed the fusion material monsters. Ancient Gear Golem was known to be an incredibly rare and powerful card. That Crowler was using it in a fusion summoning meant that whatever he was creating had to be just as powerful, if not more so. "Rise, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem!"

The monster that appeared was absolutely massive, easily towering over the dueling field. It bore a resemblance to that of a centaur, with the lower half consisting of four powerful legs and three cable-like tails. The top half appeared similar to the Ancient Gear Golem, though the armor was slightly thicker and more elaborate. One key difference however was that the monsters left arm was replaced with a massive silver claw, with two large gears sticking out. Only adding to the impressive image was the fact that the monster was comprised entirely of the dented, gray metal and rusted gears that was the signature of the Ancient Gear series.

'_**Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem: Atk 4400/Def 3400, Level 10, Earth Attribute, Machine/Fusion/Effect- **__**"**__**Ancient Gear Golem**__**" + 2 "**__**Ancient Gear**__**" **__**monsters**__**. **__**Must be **__**Fusion Summoned**__**. If this card **__**attacks**__** a **__**Defense Position**__** monster, inflict **__**piercing**__**battle damage**__**. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot **__**activate**__** any **__**Spell**__**/**__**Trap Cards**__** until the end of the **__**Damage Step**__**. If this card is **__**destroyed**__**: You can **__**target**__** 1 "Ancient Gear Golem" in your **__**GY**__**; **__**Special Summon**__** it, **__**ignoring its Summoning conditions**__**.'**_

"4400 attack points!? How's Jaden supposed to get out of this now?"

"Indeed," said Bastion, "Things look quite bleak for your friend at the moment. Thanks to Crowler's Heavy Storm, he no longer has any spell or trap cards to help protect his monster. On top of that, he has no cards left in his hand. Simply put, it looks hopeless."

"No way," stunned disbelief colored Syrus' tone as he watched on with wide eyes. Jaden was one of the few people that had been friendly to him all his life, and actually seemed to want to be his friend. But now, all of his hopes for the potential friendship were about to crumble. "There's got to be something he can do to turn this around!"

"So that's Crowler's most powerful monster, Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem." It was hard to tell unless you knew Zane personally, but Alexis could easily detect the hint of surprise as he spoke. "I've only ever heard rumors and speculation about that card. I honestly wasn't sure if it existed or not."

"Well it looks like those rumors were true. To think that Crowler had a monster like that hidden away in his deck all this time," Alexis trailed off as she glanced over at Jaden, standing directly opposite the behemoth of a monster. "Still, it's kind of sad that the only reason we're getting to see such a powerful monster is at that guy's expense. There's no way he can win this thing now, not without any spells or traps to protect his monster."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Alexis." Said blonde beauty looked at Zane, her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Take a closer look at him, he doesn't seem worried in the least. In fact, he's staring down that rare and powerful monster, and he doesn't seem to be worried at all." It was true, even after Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem had been summoned, the calm confidence that Jaden had shown almost the entire match was still present. "Normally I'd think it was simply false bravado and inexperience, but the way this guy carries himself is too natural for it to be either of those. He has experience dueling high level, powerful monsters; and judging by his confidence now, he still has a plan to win this duel."

"But how? He doesn't have any cards in his hand, and the only thing on his field is that Winged Kuriboh… LV10!" Alexis' eyes widened even more as she put the pieces together. "Of course! The only reason such a high-level monster would have so few attack points, is if it has a powerful special ability!"

"My thoughts exactly Alexis; and I think we're about to see just how powerful that special ability is."

Gleeful cackling filled the arena as Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem settled behind its master. "Behold my most powerful monster!" Jaden couldn't help but cringe at the sheer _euphoria _that seemed to emanate from the gender confused professor. He was honestly enjoying this a bit too much. "You should feel honored you slacker! Not everyone can claim to have been defeated by a monster as powerful as this!"

"You monster may be powerful Crowler, but to be honest, it's not all that impressive." The nonchalance with which Jaden made his rather flippant statement sent shockwaves all throughout the arena. "All things considered, that Ultimate Golem of yours is rather tame compared to some of the monsters I've faced before."

It was true. Being raised by the King of Games, and growing up around some of the world's greatest duelists, it wasn't surprising that he would have dueled them all at some point in time. Kaiba especially had a knack for not holding back. He had faced the mans Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon a total of four times so far, and he could safely say that it was _way _more impressive than Crowler's monster.

As one would expect, Crowler didn't take kindly to Jaden's little comment. His body began trembling as he finally lost what little cool he had retained during the duel. "I've had enough of you, you worthless slacker! It's time I destroyed you, the same way I destroyed all of the other pathetic dropouts who applied to _my _Academy! Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem, attack with Crushing Mechanized Melee!"

Watching as the behemoth of a monster reared its left clawed fist back to strike, Jaden smirked. "Just what I was hoping for."

"What?" Crowler gasped, startled out of his angered thoughts.

"Man, for a master tactician you really overlooked one important detail. See, even though my Winged Kuriboh LV10 doesn't have a lot of attack points, his sweet special ability more than makes up for it." Crowler's eyes widened as Winged Kuriboh began to glow with a white light. "During my opponents battle phase, I can sacrifice him in order to destroy every monster on your field that's in attack mode! Do your thing pal!"

Winged Kuriboh gave off an echoing squeak as the glow around him intensified. The moment Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem's fist struck the light, shockwaves were created. Unfortunately for Crowler, those shockwaves were directed back at his prized monster causing cracks to appear along the length of it.

"Oh, I almost forgot the best part." With a grin on his face, Jaden dropped the final bomb that would seal his victory. "For every monster that's destroyed with this effect, you take damage equal to those monsters original attack points. Which means…"

"He won!" Syrus gasped out in surprise and happiness.

"That's game," Jaden finished as Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem finally succumbed, and fell apart. The teen duelist found it rather comical that the broken pieces all ended up falling on top of a shell-shocked Crowler.

**Jaden: 3400 LP**

**Crowler: 0 LP**

Said blonde male had his eyes wide in disbelief as the holograms faded from view. _'Impossible!' _his shock and disbelief carried over into his thoughts, _'There's… there's no way this delinquent could defeat me! How could this happen!?'_

"Just who in the world are you!?" he asked, still laying on the ground from where his monster had fallen on him.

Jaden glanced over his shoulder at his defeated opponent, having turned to exit the arena. "Well, I guess I should properly introduce myself. After all, they didn't get my name quite right when they announced it." Turning around to face the Obelisk Headmaster, he flashed a smirk as he pointed a thumb at his chest. "My full name is Jaden Yuki-Muto, nice to meet you."

A resounding gasp echoed throughout the arena at the mention of his true name, not that Jaden was all that surprised at this point. Though the staring and pointing were annoying, he had gotten used to it for the most part, especially when he was around other duelists.

Yugi and Téa, being known celebrities, often ended up giving several interviews a year. Whenever a question about their family was asked, the both of them had always spoken about him and Mana with love and pride. That was one of the things he loved most about his adoptive parents, they loved and cared for him just as much as Mana, their own flesh and blood daughter; and the fact that they weren't afraid to tell the whole world that always brought a warmth to his heart.

"N-no way," Crowler stuttered in stunned disbelief. Jaden Yuki-Muto, the son of Yugi Muto, the King of Games was said to be a dueling prodigy. Rumors about the young prodigy were abound, some even claiming that he regularly defeated professional level duelist in private matches.

"Well, since I won, that means I made the Academy." Turning around again, Jaden began walking off towards the stands, "See you in class, teach."

Alexis watched the young man as he walked back over to a stunned Syrus, and introduced himself to Bastion. She couldn't keep the smile off her face as she watched him interact with his friends.

'_Jaden Yuki-Muto,' _she thought whimsically, _'He definitely has a future here.'_

**There you have it! Hope you enjoyed it. Also, I've done a lot of research and planning for this, one of which is the improvement of certain characters decks. You'll see some new strategies and cards appearing all throughout this story. If you have any suggestions for decks that some OC's or miscellaneous characters could use, send them my way. Though I warn you, THERE WILL BE NO SYNCHRO, XYZ, PENDULUM OR LINK SUMMONING IN THIS STORY. So if you've got a deck suggestions make sure it fits that criteria, or provide a BELIEVEABLE alternative to card effects.**

**Till next time.**

**Wolf out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the second chapter of Rise of the King. I've gotten good feedback from several people about this story so far, which is always something every author enjoys.**

**Now, one thing I wanted to address real quick. I will be following canon for the most part early on, but I do plan on adding a few twists and changes to the Yu-Gi-Oh GX we all know and love! What those changes will be, will be revealed in time.**

**As always, I don't own anything. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2- Enter the Heroes**

A trio of large passenger helicopters soared above the glittering waters of the ocean. On board each helicopter were the new freshmen of Duel Academy, all of them excited to finally see the revered school in person. Jaden sat reclined in his seat in the lead copter, and unlike his fellow freshmen, was dozing slightly.

After his victory over Crowler, the entrance duels had continued as normal. The only other applicant that stood out had ended up being Bastion, who won his duel with a clever trap combo. When all was said and done a total of seventy-four applicants had made it in as the new freshmen class of Duel Academy. Once all of the exam duels were said and done, and all of the new freshmen had been informed of their dorm placement, they had been allowed to go home for the day.

By the time he made it home, it was already well into the afternoon. As soon as he walked into his home, Mana had appeared in front of him with a beaming look of excitement, and a question in her eyes. His smile was all the answer the young girl needed as she promptly squealed in happiness and enveloped him in the strongest hug an eight-year-old could muster. Her squeal had caught their parent's attention as well, both of whom had favored him with proud smiles and given him hugs of their own.

Sadly, all things must come to an eventual end, and that held true for Mana's excitement as well. It wasn't until after dinner that Mana realized exactly what it meant now that Jaden had been accepted into Duel Academy. He would be leaving to attend the school, and the only times she would be able to see him would be during the holiday breaks. It wasn't surprising then, that she had absolutely refused to leave his side over the course of the weekend, and had gotten teary eyed as they all helped him pack. She was still excited and proud, just like their parents, but she knew that she was going to miss her brother deeply, and it hurt to know he would be leaving soon.

Jaden, the caring brother he was, was more than willing to oblige Mana's desire to spend time together before his departure. Mana had always enjoyed watching him duel, and it never failed to make her smile. So, the night before he was to leave, the siblings had sat down and watched a marathon of all of Jaden's recorded duels. Though Jaden found it kind of dull to watch a duel when he already knew the outcome, seeing the joy and happiness that it brought his sister made it worth it.

"_Attention, new Duel Academy students," _the pilots voice sounding over the intercom managed to rouse the dozing teen, _"If you look outside your windows, you'll see your new home away from home." _Several of the students on board the helicopter began leaning over one another to get a glimpse outside the closest window. Unlike his fellow freshmen, Jaden calmly looked out of the window next him and felt a small smile spread across his features as he caught sight of Duel Academy.

Situated at the heart of an island paradise, the tall white domed structure of Duel Academy stood as a beacon for all aspiring duelists. Running along the front edge of the building, were three smaller domes, each one colored to represent the different dorms of the Academy. Finishing off the structure, were multiple towering obelisks on either side of the building.

"_Now, now, I know your excited but don't shove."_ The pilot's amusement at the student's behavior was evident. _"Please fasten your seatbelts, and set your seats back to an upright position. We're going in to land. Next stop, Academy Island!"_

Adjusting his seat back from its reclined position, the eldest Muto child shared a smirk with his most loyal duel spirit. Both of them thinking the same thing, _'Look out Duel Academy, here comes the Supreme King.'_

Shortly after landing on the helipads, a crew of workers arrived and began to collect and move all of the student's luggage to their new dorm buildings. As for the new freshmen, they were directed towards the main academy building and into one of the large lecture halls. The room itself was state of the art; equipped with a large high-definition monitor that was built into the front wall, and was currently displaying the Duel Academy logo. Two wide, lecture podiums were placed on either side of the raised teacher's dais, providing ample room for any instructor to conduct their lessons.

A slight flicker on the monitor drew everyone's attention as the image of a man looking to be in his fifties appeared. Despite his apparent age, the man had an aura of childlike friendliness about him, perpetuated by the kind smile he wore. The other thing that really stood out about him was that he was completely bald, though he sported a well-trimmed goatee and eyebrows, both of which were showing signs of greying. As far as attire went, he was sporting a pale-yellow collared shirt with a brown tie, and over that he had on a maroon Academy blazer.

"_Good morning, and welcome my students." _The calm, yet upbeat tone of his voice brought smiles to many of the student's face. _"I'm Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster of this Academy; and you are the best, and brightest young duelists in world. Now I'm sure you are all eager to explore, and become acquainted with your new homes. So please, get yourselves settled in at your assigned dorms, and we will see all of you bright and early for class tomorrow."_ With that dismissal, several of the students set out across the campus, heading for their new dorms. Deciding to forgo Sheppard's suggestion for now, Jaden left to explore the campus a bit more.

He had to fight the urge to roll his eyes as he walked around the halls. It seemed that everywhere he went, the students would stop and stare as he passed, whispering to one another in hushed tones. All things considered; he couldn't really blame them for their behavior. Yubel did say that he made for quite the interesting sight in his new uniform. His crimson red blazer was left unzipped, showing off the black-V-neck shirt he had on underneath it. Both garments hugged his torso well, accentuating his lean muscled form. The coat itself was slightly longer than normal, with the bottom edges flaring out behind him. Completing his outfit was a pair of slim, black designer jeans and the Academy issued boots that matched his blazer.

What was so interesting, was not his actual appearance as far as the students were concerned, it was simply the color of his blazer. Many were wondering how it was possible that the son of the King of Games had wound up being placed in Slifer Red, the lowest ranking dorm at the Academy. Rumors and speculation as to his placement were abundant, though it seemed the most popular theory was that Crowler had somehow ensured he ended up in Slifer as a form of revenge.

The sixteen-year-old chuckled softly as he continued to wander the halls. _'If only they knew the truth,' _he thought, suppressing another chuckle. Eventually his wandering brought him to the entrance of a large dueling arena. Like almost everything else at the Academy, the large circular arena was state of the art. Stands lined the entire perimeter of the space, leading up to a small walkway that wrapped all the way around the room. In the heart of the arena was an elevated platform with a professional league dueling arena drawn on it.

"Jaden, wait up!" a familiar voice called out. Said teen turned slightly to see Syrus running up to him, clad in his own Slifer Red uniform.

"Oh, hey Syrus, need something?" he asked once the shorter teen had caught his breath.

"Well, no, not really, I was just wondering where you had gone. You weren't at the dorm like everyone else."

"Yeah, I decided to explore for a bit before heading to the dorm. Avoid the craziness of everyone trying to settle in at the same time." Jaden said with a shrug, putting his hands in his pockets, "So what's our new dorm like? Hope it's got a good view."

Syrus looked a little disappointed as he got out his PDA and pulled up a picture of the dorm. "To be honest I wouldn't really call it a dorm. It's more like an outhouse with a deck." The picture showed a small, two-story building with a set of stairs leading to the second story wrap around deck. All in all, the Slifer Red Dorm looked no better than a typical apartment complex one would find in a small neighborhood.

Just like at the entrance exams, Jaden was quick to pick up on Syrus' mode. "Hey, just because our dorm isn't all huge and fancy, doesn't mean it doesn't have its own perks." Zooming in on a specific portion of the image, the taller Slifer handed Syrus his PDA back. "Just look at the awesome ocean view we get. I'd say that alone makes our dorm the best on the island." It was true too. The zoomed in portion of the image showed a breathtaking view of the ocean as it stretched out towards the horizon.

The shorter teen smiled slightly at Jaden's optimistic personality. "Yeah, I guess you're right. That view is pretty awesome."

"There you go Sy," Jaden said with a smile as he patted Syrus' shoulder. "Now, what do you say we take this arena for spin? Up for a quick match?"

"D-duel? A-against you?" the cyanette's voice pitched slightly, reflecting his fear and hesitation. His wide eyes flickered from side to side as he tried to come up with a reason to avoid dueling Jaden. "I-I don't think we're a-allowed too duel here yet. C-chancellor Sheppard said everyone was supposed to be at their dorms right now!" Syrus said in a rush before his eyes fell to the floor, avoiding meeting Jaden's gaze. "Besides, I'm not much of a duelist anyway…"

Jaden frowned at his friend's apparent lack of confidence. Placing a firm hand on the teens shoulder, Jaden waited until Syrus looked up and met his gaze. "Sy, believe me when I say that you have the potential to be an amazing duelist. The only thing stopping you from showing that potential is this confidence issue you have. But we're gonna work through that problem together, and you're going to show everyone just how great a duelist you are."

"D-do you really think so?" The sense of doubt he had in his heart was still prevalent, but Syrus desperately wanted to believe that what Jaden said was true. That was the whole reason he had chosen to come to Duel Academy. To prove to everyone and to himself that he could be a great duelist. But most of all, he wanted to prove that he could be as good a duelist as his older brother Zane.

"Trust me Syrus." Offering the shorter teen an encouraging smile, he patted his shoulders one last time. "The Academy might separate us into ranks, but it doesn't matter what rank or what dorm we're in; anyone with the will to succeed can become a great duelist."

"Is that so?" a voice cut in from across the arena. Looking towards the source, the two Slifer's found a pair of students standing on the elevated duel arena. Both were dressed in the typical long-tailed blue blazers of the Obelisk Dorm, immediately making Syrus nervous, while Jaden simply raised an eyebrow. "You must not know how things work around here," the one with a wavy blue bang on the right side of his face said. "Slifer slackers like you two don't have what it takes to be duelists. That's why the Academy put you in that reject of a dorm, they recognized that you have no talent whatsoever."

"Yeah," his tan, brown haired companion chimed in, "Punks like you could never match up to elites like us. The Obelisk's are the top dorm beca…"

"Because you're all a bunch of rich, egotistic snobs?" Jaden interrupted, smirking as the two Obelisk's scowled.

"Why you…!" the tanned boy growled, looking ready to say something else, only for his blue haired friend to cut him off.

"Hang on," he said, pointing at Jaden as his eyes widened slightly in recognition. "You're that kid who beat Crowler! The son of the King of Games!"

The spikey haired brunette took the time to get a good look at Jaden, before his eyes widened as well. Turning to the stands on his left he called out, "Hey Chazz, that applicant who beat Dr. Crowler is here!"

Jaden and Syrus turned to the same area of the stands, and saw a black-haired teen standing up. Like the two in front of them, he wore the standard Obelisk uniform, but had on black jeans in place of his companions' light-washed jeans. "So, you're the son of Yugi Muto." Jaden easily picked up on the subtle derision in Chazz's tone, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Like most of the other students he had seen, all Chazz chose to see was the color of his jacket. Whereas a majority of the student body were simply curious about it, Chazz seemed to be one of the more arrogant ones that let that single fact influence his opinion of Jaden's skills.

"That's right." Completely ignoring the other two, Jaden turned his full attention onto Chazz, matching the teens stare with one of his own. "Jaden Yuki-Muto, and you are?"

Ignoring the question, Chazz continued to stare down Jaden, his eyes narrowing slightly into a glare. Instead, the blue haired one answered in his place. "His names Chazz Princeton," he spoke his friends name with pride, like it was supposed to mean something to the two Slifers'. Syrus merely looked confused at the name, while Jaden completely ignored the teen all together. "He was the number one duelist back at Duel Prep School, so you make sure to pay the proper respects, got it?"

A tense silence followed the declaration, and all the while Jaden and Chazz continued their standoff. Syrus was starting to get nervous as he looked back and forth between the two. Not once since Chazz revealed himself had they broken eye contact, each trying to outdo the other in a silent battle of wills.

It was Chazz that blinked first. "I've got to say, I'm a little disappointed." Though he tried to mask it with bravado, they both knew that Jaden had won their little contest. "After you beat Dr. Crowler and given who your father is, I thought that you might actually have some skill. But now the truth is clear; you're nothing but a second-rate duelist who got lucky."

"Is that so?" though his tone was calm, Jaden felt rather surprised as he picked up on something in Chazz's voice. Despite the arrogant undertone with which he spoke, he sounded like he was genuinely disappointed. That would require some looking into later. For now, though… "Care to test that theory of yours?"

Before Chazz could respond, a new voice, this one distinctly feminine, came from behind the group of five. "Well, isn't this a motley crew." The five boys all turned to see the new arrival, and were met with the vision of a beautiful blonde-haired young woman. Her perfect hourglass figure was hugged by the white bodice of the girls uniform perfectly. The blue miniskirt accentuated her long legs, drawing lustful gazes from her fellow blues and a deep blush from Syrus. Jaden however, while he did give a quick appreciative glance at her figure, was respectful and immediately looked up to meet her gaze, offering a kind smile.

"Hey Alexis," Chazz's attempt at being charming couldn't have been more evident. "Come to watch me mop the floor with my new friend Jaden here? It won't last long, but I'll try and make it as entertaining as possible."

Unseen by any other, that little comment did not sit well a certain duel spirit. Yubel glared at the arrogant child who dared to disregard her king as weak. She couldn't wait to watch Jaden destroy him in a duel. With any luck, he would summon her during the duel so she could exact vengeance for him personally.

As if sensing her intentions, Jaden looked at her out the corner of his eye with a reproachful gaze. He understood her desire to protect and defend him in all forms, but sometimes she took things a little too far.

"I'm here to remind you about the Obelisk welcome dinner." It was abundantly clear that Alexis was not impressed by Chazz's attempt at charm. She crossed her arms and leveled a frosty look on her fellow Obelisk's. "You're late."

"Oh yeah," Chazz mumbled as he turned away, "Come on guys." His two friends were quick to obey as they followed the young Princeton out of the arena.

Once they were at of sight, the now named Alexis offered an apologetic smile to the two Slifer's. "Sorry if Chazz left you with a bad impression, but not all of us Obelisk's are like that. He's just a jerk." Turning, she glared in the direction the male Obelisk's had gone. "Especially with Slifer's."

"Don't sweat it." The nonchalant way Jaden spoke surprised Alexis, her hazel eyes widened slightly. "I know his type, and they don't really bother me all that much. Besides," here he smirked slightly as he met Alexis' gaze, "Those that bark the loudest usually have the weakest bites."

Alexis couldn't suppress a small chuckle at the bold, yet often accurate claim. "Perhaps, but Chazz's arrogance isn't without reason unfortunately. Despite his attitude, Chazz _is_ one of the top Obelisk in our class, and his skill owns up to his standing."

Jaden, much to Syrus' surprise, merely smirked as he crossed his arms. "Then I can look forward to the prospect of a challenging duel. After all, that is why we all came to this Academy isn't it?"

"True." Unable to keep from smiling, Alexis fully turned to the two Slifer's. "The Slifer welcome dinner is about to start too. You might want to hurry if you plan on making it in time."

"Right," nodding at her suggestion, the brunette turned to his short statured friend. "Come on Syrus, we better get moving."

"Alright," was the cyanette's response as he turned to head towards the exit.

"Alexis was it?" at the blonde's nod, Jaden smiled again, "You probably heard Chazz say it, but I'll introduce myself properly. I'm Jaden Yuki-Muto, nice to meet you."

Once again, she found herself smiling at the interesting teen. "Alexis Rhodes, nice to officially meet you Jaden."

"Likewise. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a dinner party to attend. Thanks again for the reminder." Offering the attractive blonde one last smile, the eldest Muto child turned and left the arena. Syrus, who had been waiting at the arena entrance, was quick to follow.

Left alone in the arena, Alexis smiled as she heard Syrus complaining about Jaden not introducing him as well. "Jaden huh," she muttered, smiling as she walked out of the arena.

Disbelief filled the air of the Slifer meal hall. The entirety of the first year Slifer class couldn't believe what they were seeing. In front of them, on cheap tin serving trays, was what passed as their _fancy_ welcome dinner.

A single bowl of steamed rice, half a dozen sardines with a side of soy sauce and a few pieces of takuan.

"_This_ is our fancy welcome dinner?" one student asked.

"Forget the dinner, check out our headmaster." Another student, sitting closer to the small table at the head of the room pointed out. "It's a cat!"

Sure enough, curled up on the head table was a plump, beige tabby cat. The tip of his tail was a chocolate brown, matching the stripes that accentuated his fur coat. All in all, he was rather adorable.

Sitting at the back of the meal hall, closest to the door, Jaden couldn't keep from rolling his eyes at the comment. As rundown as the Slifer Dorm might be, the idea that the Academy would appoint _a cat_ as the headmaster was rather ludicrous. Before anyone else could comment, a tall man with a slim build stepped out of the kitchen area at the front of the hall. He was dressed simply; a white long-sleeved button down tucked into a pair of slim black slacks. A slightly loosened red neck-tie, chocolate brown dress shoes and square wire-frame glasses completed the man's outfit.

Professional, yet casual enough to be approachable. Jaden immediately took a liking to the man.

"Hello children. I'm Professor Lyman Banner." His jovial tone held a slight Germanic accent, "Now, before we eat, I'd like you each to introduce yourself and tell us something about you. A favorite color, favorite type of cards, or even a goal for the future. Would anyone care to start us off?" he asked, sweeping his gaze across the many aspiring duelists.

Seeing that no one else was willing to start, Jaden stood up, catching everyone's attention. "I guess I'll start off. My name's Jaden Yuki-Muto, and one day I plan on following in the footsteps of my dad by becoming the King of Games."

Banner merely smiled while the rest of the students watched Jaden with varying levels of surprise. "Wanting to live up to a family legacy, an admirable goal indeed. Thank you for sharing that with everyone Jaden." With a nod, the teen sat back down. "Now then, who would like to go next?"

So it went for the next few minutes; everyone introducing themselves and providing some interesting fact or another about themselves. Throughout it all, Jaden simply watched on with a small smile. It was blatantly obvious that several of his dormmates didn't think much of their chances of succeeding at the Academy given their rank. Syrus being a prime example. He wouldn't allow them to dwell on such thoughts for long though.

Even though he had no obligation to do so, Yugi had taught him everything he could about Duel Monsters. Now, it was his turn. He would show everyone, especially his fellow Slifer's, that they could be great duelists one day. He would pass on Yugi's teachings and help as many of his classmates as possible reach the pinnacle of their potential.

"Well, now that everyone has introduced themselves, let's eat!" Despite the simplicity of the meal, it was rather tasty much to several people's surprise. With a mental note to himself to speak to Professor Banner in the near future, Jaden dove into his meal with slightly more gusto them most.

It was some time after the welcome dinner that Jaden and Syrus found themselves resting in their dorm. The room itself was fairly simple, an L-shaped two-person desk was pushed against the left wall. Across the room, directly opposite the desk was a triple bunkbed, with a small kitchenet and closet facing the foot of the beds.

Syrus was currently making a pot of tea at the kitchenet, while Jaden sat in one of the desk chairs fiddling with his new Academy issued PDA. "Damn, Professor Banner sure can cook." A small burp emphasized Jaden's point, "Excuse me."

"I know what you mean." Pouring the tea into three cups, Syrus carried a tray over and set it on the desk. "He's seems like a really nice guy too. I'm glad we got him as a headmaster."

Smiling at the cyanette, the teen gratefully took one of the steaming cups. "You can say that again. I don't think I could've survived if someone like Crowler was our dorm headmaster. That'd be a living nightmare. Thanks for the tea Syrus."

"No problem Jaden." With a smile, the shorter teen turned towards the top bunk of their bed, "Hey Chumley, want some tea?"

"Did I say I wanted any tea?" was the crass response from the bed's occupant.

Jaden scowled lightly at the rotund lump under the covers. Chumley Huffington was his and Syrus' roommate, who had apparently been held back a year. Aside from his heftier set body, his facial features resembled those of a koala; complete with a larger nose, and small eyes under thick eyebrows. Another notable fact about the older teen was his rather pessimistic and cantankerous attitude.

"Knock it off Chumley. He just asked if you wanted some tea. You didn't have to go and bite his head off like that."

"It's ok Jaden," Syrus said with a sad smile, "I'm honestly kind of used to stuff like that. It's no big deal."

Looking at his bespectacled friend, the brunette frowned. "It is a big deal Syrus. You shouldn't have to be used to that kind of treatment. The fact that you say you are worries me."

Smiling sadly again, Syrus took his own cup of tea. "Thanks for worrying Jaden, but really, it's nothing. Just forget I said anything, ok?"

Despite his reservations, it was clear that Syrus wasn't ready to talk about this particular topic in greater detail yet. Reluctantly, Jaden agreed to let the topic drop for now.

"Sheesh, if you two are going to talk so much, go outside and leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep here."

Scowling once more at their rotund roommates' attitude, Jaden went to retort, only for his PDA to ping several times. Picking it up off the desk, he saw that he had a new email. There was no text in the message itself, only a video attachment. Opening the video file revealed the smug visage of Chazz Princeton.

"_Hey, Slifer slacker. Don't think I forgot about your little challenge. Tonight, at midnight. The Obelisk duel arena. Winner gets the loser's best card. Don't be late."_

Glancing at the clock, Jaden moved over to his bed, opening the box that contained his new Academy issued duel disk.

"W-wait a sec, Jaden. You're n-not serious about dueling him, are you?" asked Syrus, surprised that the taller teen would willingly accept a challenge with an ante-rule.

"I'm dead serious Syrus. I never back down from a challenge."

"B-but it's against the rules to duel with an ante!" the cyanette was frantic with worry for his friend by this point. "If you get caught, you'll be expelled! Plus, I don't think we're allowed in the arena this late!"

"You're right about that Sy. But I'm still not backing down from this." Picking up his PDA again, Jaden typed out a quick message, before sending it off. "Besides," he flashed his friend a smirk, "Whoever said we were dueling in the arena?"

The pair quickly made their way towards the main academy building. Much to Syrus' confusion though, they weren't going to the dueling arena. In fact, they hadn't even entered the building. Jaden was standing in the middle of the central walkway, dozens of monoliths lined up along either side.

After a few minutes of silence, Syrus couldn't contain his curiosity any more. "Umm, Jaden? Why are you just standing there? I thought you said you weren't backing down from dueling Chazz."

"And I'm not backing down Syrus," came Jaden's calm response, "I'm just being smart about this whole thing." Seeing that Syrus was still confused about things, he clarified. "You were right when you said that we weren't allowed in the arena this late at night. In fact, if we had gotten caught there, we likely would have ended up suspended for a while. But there are no rules that prevent students from dueling outside, no matter how late."

"Oh," was all the cyanette could say, not really having thought about that. "But, Chazz is expecting you in the arena. How do you plan on dueling him out here?"

Smirking slightly, the eldest Muto child crossed his arms. "If Chazz is in the arena already, he won't be for much longer. Not when campus security responds to a tip about two students dueling the arena after hours."

"Huh, a tip? What are you talking about Jaden?" Syrus asked confused. Jaden's smirk widened as he glanced at his friend, patting his right thigh slightly. The shorter Slifer's eyes widened as he remembered Jaden sending a message to someone before they left. "You told campus security about the duel, to force Chazz outside!?"

"Yep," he said, popping the 'p'. "Now all we have to do is wait."

"Pretty clever thinking their Jaden," a familiar voice said as the owner walked up behind them.

"Thank you for the compliment Alexis," he said, exchanging a smile with the blonde Obelisk. "Though I've got to ask. What are you doing all the way out here this late?"

"With how things ended in the arena today, I had a feeling something like this might happen." She crossed her arms under her breast, shifting her weight to one side slightly. "If you had decided to duel in the arena, I was going to keep an eye out for security and make sure no one got busted. Though it seems that's no longer necessary, huh Jaden." The blonde beauty finished a light smirk, one Jaden returned in kind.

Before anymore could be said, movement from the main building caught their attention. Three people were moving towards the entrance quickly but carefully. Almost as if they were trying to avoid being seen. When the doors opened and the three stepped out into the light of the moon, only Syrus seemed mildly surprised at who it was.

Chazz and his two friends, all of them breathing slightly harder, and glancing over their shoulders.

"Right on time Chazz." Said teen looked up sharply, his gaze narrowing into a glare when he caught sight of Jaden. "Hope you don't mind, but I've always liked dueling outside. Much better than some stuffy arena with campus security crawling around." Grinning, Jaden deployed his duel disk, "Doncha think Chazz?"

With a growl, the black-haired Obelisk walked up and deployed his own duel disk. He knew that Jaden had something to do with them almost getting caught by security. They had been outsmarted, plain and simple. Now he had even more reason to take this Slifer slacker down.

"Duel!" they shouted as they drew their opening hands.

**Jaden: 4000 LP**

**Chazz: 4000 LP**

"Time to put you in your place, slacker." Drawing his sixth card, Chazz looked over his hand. His mind set, he picked up another card and placed it in his middle monster zone. "To start off, I'll summon Knight Day Grepher in attack mode." An incredibly well-built man with purple hair appeared on Chazz's field. He had purple armor covering his chest and shoulder that showed off his muscular arms and abdominals, while a purple cape flowed in a holographic breeze behind him. "Then I'll place two cards facedown. Your move slacker."

'_**Knight Day Grepher: **__**Atk 1700/Def 1600, Level 4, Light Attribute, Warrior/Gemini- **__**This card is treated as a **__**Normal Monster**__** while **__**face-up**__** on the **__**field**__** or in the **__**Graveyard**__**. While this card is a Normal Monster on the field, you can **__**Normal Summon**__** it to have it become an **__**Effect Monster**__** with this **__**effect**__**.**__**  
**__**● During your **__**End Phase**__**: You can **__**target**__** 1 **__**Equip Spell Card**__** in your Graveyard; **__**add**__** that target to your **__**hand**__**. You can only use this effect of "Knight Day Grepher" **__**once per turn**__**.**__**'**_

Jaden drew his card silently. _'Gemini monsters? Can't say I was expecting that.' _Glancing at his hand, a smirk slowly spread across his lips, _'But that just makes this all the more exciting.' _"Not bad Chazz, though I think I'll start things off with something more… intense. Say hello to Elemental Hero Solid Soldier." A male hero, clad in a wine-red body suit appeared. The monster's torso bore bright silver armor bearing teal accents with a gem of the same color embedded in the middle of it. Matching boots, gauntlets and helmet completed the ensemble.

'_**Elemental HERO Solid Soldier: **__**Atk 1300/Def 1100, Level 4, Earth Attribute, Warrior/Effect- **__**When this card is **__**Normal Summoned**__**: You can **__**Special Summon**__** 1 **__**Level**__** 4 or lower "**__**HERO**__**" **__**monster**__** from your **__**hand**__**. If this card is **__**sent**__** from the **__**Monster Zone**__** to the **__**GY**__** by a **__**Spell**__**effect**__**: You can **__**target**__** 1 "HERO" monster in your **__**GY**__**, except "Elemental HERO Solid Soldier"; Special Summon it in **__**Defense Position**__**. You can only use this effect of "Elemental HERO Solid Soldier" **__**once per turn**__**.**__**'**_

"Elemental Hero's?" Alexis muttered, surprised. She and Syrus had stepped off to the side to get a better view of the duel. Truth be told she had been rather curious about Jaden's deck after he defeated Crowler using a Kuriboh. Anyone who could pull something like that off was bound to have an interesting deck.

Chazz on the other hand, merely laughed. "I thought you said you were going to start off with something intense! What good does summoning a monster weaker than mine do for you?"

"His special ability for one." That caught Chazz off guard, "With it, I'm allowed to summon another Hero from my hand, as long as it's level 4 or below. So, come on out Elemental Hero Blazeman." The new monster was clad in a black and gray full body suit. Fiery red armor adorned its pectorals and shoulder. A matching mask covered his entire face with a mane of blazing hair trailing from behind the mask. "And he's got a pretty sweet special ability too. Whenever he's summoned, I can take one Polymerization from my deck and add it to my hand." Leafing through his cards, Jaden pulled out the designated spell before shuffling and reinserting his deck into his disk.

'_**Elemental HERO Blazeman: **__**Atk 1200/Def 1800, Level 4, Fire Attribute, Warrior/Effect- **__**If this card is **__**Normal**__** or **__**Special Summoned**__**: You can **__**add**__** 1 "**__**Polymerization**__**" from your **__**Deck**__** to your **__**hand**__**. During your **__**Main Phase**__**: You can **__**activate**__** this effect; you cannot **__**Special Summon**__**monsters**__** for the rest of this **__**turn**__**, except **__**Fusion Monsters**__**, also **__**send**__** 1 "**__**Elemental HERO**__**" monster from your Deck to the **__**GY**__**, except "Elemental HERO Blazeman", and if you do, this card's **__**Attribute**__** and **__**ATK**__**/**__**DEF**__** become the same as the monster sent to the GY, until the end of this **__**turn**__**. You can only use 1 "Elemental HERO Blazeman" effect per turn, and only **__**once that turn**__**.**__**'**_

'_**Polymerization: Normal Spell- **__**Fusion Summon**__** 1 **__**Fusion Monster**__** from your **__**Extra Deck**__**, using **__**monsters**__** from your **__**hand**__** or **__**field**__** as **__**Fusion Material**__**.**__**'**_

Syrus' eyes were wide as he watched the duel. "Oh wow, Jaden wasn't messing around when he said he'd start big!"

"No kidding," said Alexis, "If he's got the right cards, he could have three monsters ready to attack on his very first turn."

"Now to put this new spell to work." Picking up another card from his hand, he showed it and Polymerization to his opponent. "With Polymerization, I can fuse Blazeman with the Clayman in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Nova Master!" A swirling vortex appeared above the field, with Blazeman, and the newly appeared Clayman jumping into it. Shortly after, a column of flame emerged from the vortex, striking Jaden's field where Blazeman had once stood. Once the flames died down, it revealed the new monster for everyone to see. Covered almost head to toe in crimson red armor with orange accents, the new hero made an impressive sight.

'_**Elemental HERO Nova Master: **__**Atk 2600/Def 2100, Level 8, Fire Attribute, Warrior/Fusion/Effect- **_

_**1 "**__**Elemental HERO**__**" **__**monster**__** \+ 1 **__**FIRE**__**monster**__**. **__**Must be **__**Fusion Summoned**__**. If this card **__**destroys**__** an opponent's **__**monster**__**by battle**__**: **__**Draw**__** 1 card.**__**'**_

Pointing at Chazz's lone monster, Jaden went on the attack. "Alright Nova Master, show him how you got your name! Nova Flare!" with a wave of the monster's hand, a surge of flames erupted underneath Grepher, consuming the monster entirely. "And with no monsters to protect you, Soldier gets a free run at your life points. Solid Knuckle!" Leaping across the field, Solid Soldier delivered a devastating right hook directly to Chazz.

**Jaden: 4000 LP**

**Chazz: 1800 LP**

"Way to go Jaden! He just took out more than half of Chazz's life points!" Syrus cheered, awed by his fellow Slifer's skill.

Smiling at his friend's excitement, the brunette duelist drew a card because of Nova Master's effect to end his turn.

"Lucky move punk," Chazz growled, drawing his fourth card with a furious swipe. Smirking at what he drew, the black-haired duelist gestured to one of his facedown's. "But your luck's just run out. I activate Call of the Haunted; with this I can bring back the monster you just destroyed." Knight Day Grepher reappeared in a flash of light, "But he won't be staying around long. I sacrifice him in order to summon Chthonian Emperor Dragon." The well-built warrior disappeared just as quickly, to be replaced by a large serpentine dragon that curled around Chazz's field.

The dragons segmented body was covered in a tough black hide, silver accents running the length of its body. An orange jewel was embedded in the beast's chest. A pair of large wings severed as the dragon's forearms, each tipped with a single wicked claw.

"Here's the best part slacker. With my dragon on the field, I can activate my second facedown; Gemini Booster!"

'_**Chthonian Emperor Dragon: **__**Atk 2400/Def 1500, Level 6, Fire Attribute, Dragon/Gemini-**__**This card is treated as a **__**Normal Monster**__** while **__**face-up**__** on the **__**field**__** or in the **__**Graveyard**__**. While this card is **__**face-up**__** on the field, you can **__**Normal Summon**__** it to have it be treated as an **__**Effect Monster**__** with this effect:**__**  
**__**● This card can **__**attack**__** twice during the same **__**Battle Phase**__**.**__**'**_

'_**Gemini Booster: Normal Trap- **__**Equip**__** this card to a **__**Gemini monster**__** you **__**control**__** as an **__**Equip Card**__**. It gains 700 **__**ATK**__**. When this card is **__**destroyed**__** while equipped and **__**sent**__** to the **__**Graveyard**__**, **__**select**__** 1 **__**face-up**__** Gemini monster and treat it as an **__**Effect Monster**__**.**__**'**_

_Chthonian Emperor Dragon: Atk 2400 - 3100_

"That's not good." Jaden muttered as he faced down the empowered dragon.

"You don't know the half of it. Cause with Double Summon, I can Gemini Summon my dragon, unlocking his effect. He can attack twice in one turn! So say goodbye to both your monsters slacker!" An almost cruel smirk crossed the Princeton hers features as he pointed his hand at Jaden. "Chthonian Emperor Dragon, attack with Windstorm Rage!" With a deep breath, the dragon unleashed twin blasts of pressurized air at the two hero monsters.

'_**Double Summon: Normal Spell- **__**You can conduct 2 **__**Normal Summons**__**/**__**Sets**__** this **__**turn**__**, not just 1.**__**'**_

**Jaden: 1700 LP**

**Chazz: 1800 LP**

Laughing as his opponent's life points dropped, Chazz turned a cocky smirk on the teen. "Starting to recognize your place here slacker? Son of the King of Games or not, you're just a second-rate duelist with a little luck on his side. But when faced with real power and skill, the lucky always fall."

Jaden didn't rise to the taunt, merely drawing his card with a small flourish. Seeing what it was he began to chuckle softly. "You know something Chazz, this is the exact reason I wanted to come to this Academy." Five confused stares were the only answer his seemingly random statement received. "Dueling, making friends and finding strong opponents to call my rivals. That's everything I was hoping to accomplish during my time here; and I think I just found my first rival."

"Whatever," Chazz scoffed, "Hurry up and finish your last pathetic move so I can win this duel already."

"Hate to break it to you Chazz, but I'm the one who's winning this duel. And it all starts with this, Miracle Fusion." A standing hologram of said card appeared on Jaden's left.

'_**Miracle Fusion: Normal Spell- **__**Fusion Summon**__** 1 "**__**Elemental HERO**__**" **__**Fusion Monster**__** from your **__**Extra Deck**__**, by **__**banishing**__**Fusion Materials**__** listed on it from your side of the **__**field**__** or your **__**GY**__**.**__**'**_

Off the side, Syrus looked lost. "Miracle Fusion? I've never heard of that card before."

Alexis, who was better informed then her shorter companion, explained. "Not surprising. Miracle Fusion is unique to the Elemental Hero series. It allows someone to fusion summon an Elemental Hero using monsters from the graveyard instead of the field."

"Wait, so that means…"

"Jaden might still be in this duel. Depending on what monster he summons."

Chazz, having heard the explanation, simply scoffed. "No matter what you summon, it won't help you slacker. Nothing in that pathetic deck of yours can stand up to my dragon!"

Floating behind Jaden, Yubel couldn't stifle the laugh that ripped from her throat. The poor bastard was so deluded that it was beyond amusing. Oh, how she longed to see the poor bastards face if her king ever decided to take him seriously. True, she could admit that this Chazz had potential, but as far as she was concerned, he would still never be able to match up to Jaden.

"We'll just have to see about that Chazz." Said teen scowled, confident that the Slifer was bluffing. "With Miracle Fusion, I can remove Solid Soldier and Blazeman from play to bring out a new hero." Picking up the two cards that slid out of his graveyard, Jaden placed them in his back pocket. "So, say hello to Elemental Hero Gaia!" with a flash of light, the new monster appeared. It was a giant armored warrior, easily matching Chazz's dragon in height.

'_**Elemental HERO Gaia: **__**Atk 2200/Def 2600, Level 6, Earth Attribute, Warrior/Fusion/Effect- **__**1 "**__**Elemental HERO**__**" **__**monster**__** \+ 1 **__**EARTH**__** monster.**__**Must be **__**Fusion Summoned**__** and cannot be **__**Special Summoned**__** by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned: **__**Target**__** 1 **__**face-up**__** monster your opponent **__**controls**__**; until the **__**End Phase**__**, its **__**ATK**__** is halved and this card gains the same amount of ATK.**__**'**_

The dark-gray armor glinted in the light of the moon as the monster raised one of its gauntlets. Four beams of energy shot out of the gauntlet, ensnaring the opposing dragon before anyone could react.

_Chthonian Emperor Dragon: Atk 3100 - 1550_

The Obelisk's that had been with Chazz gasped, while the black-haired teen shouted in alarm. "What happened to my dragon's attack points!?"

"Simple," all eyes turned to a smirking Jaden. "When Gaia's summoned, I can target one monster you control and cut its attack points in half." The ropes of light connecting the two monsters began to pulse slightly, while the orange gems along Gaia's armor began to glow vibrantly. "But you know the best part Chazz? Those attack points that your monster lost, are added to Gaia's."

_Elemental HERO Gaia: Atk 2200 - 3750_

"This can't be happening!" the Princeton heir screamed, as realization struck home. Without any other spells or traps out, he was defenseless! He'd lost… to a Slifer!

"Oh it's happening alright. Go Gaia, destroy his dragon! Earthen Bombardment!" A volley of energy blast exploded from the warrior's second gauntlet, each one finding its mark on Chazz's dragon.

**Jaden: 1700 LP**

**Chazz: 0 LP**

"Nooo!"

Unable to comprehend his loss, Chazz fell to his knees as his two friends ran up to him. _'That shouldn't be possible! How could a Slifer slacker like him beat me!?' _Looking up at the person who had just defeated him, Chazz frowned. _'This isn't over Jaden. Just you wait…' _Brushing off his friends attempt at helping him, he stood up and left without a word. His followers hot on his heels.

Jaden watched them go with a small frown of his own, but pushed his concerns aside as Syrus ran up to him. "Way to play Jay!"

"Thanks, Sy." Fist bumping the excited teen, he turned his gaze to Alexis as she walked over.

"Pretty good duel there." She smiled, "To be honest, with how things were going there for a minute, I wasn't sure you could win."

"Don't sweat it. Besides, the uncertainty and anticipation are half of what make dueling so entertaining."

"Very true," she said with a soft chuckle. "Well, it's getting pretty late. We should probably get some sleep, since classes start tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're probably right." With one last smile, Jaden turned and began making his way towards the Slifer Dorm. "Night Alexis, see you in class tomorrow."

"Night." Both teens had to suppress a chuckle as they heard Syrus shout as he ran to catch up with the taller Slifer. When the two were out of sight, Alexis turned and made for her own dorm. _'This year is definitely going to interesting with you around Jaden.'_

* * *

**There you have it.**

**As several of you probably noticed, the characters deck's have all been upgraded and overhauled. Though I'm sticking to canon until the points in the series where things get more interesting, I do plan on changing up the duels as much as possible. Many authors of Yu-Gi-Oh stories have the habit of giving characters perfect 'One Turn Kill' hands. Don't get me wrong, I've read several stories with such duels and still found them entertaining, but let's be realistic; the chances of that happening are minimal at best. My character's might have good hands from time to time, but that will be the extent of it. They will almost never have an OTK hand.**

**I won't give away any specifics, but you can expect to see several character's with new cards to support their chosen style of play and/or archetype. (e.g. Jaden & Zane will have more fusion support cards, Alexis more ritual support cards, etc.)**

**Well, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think.**

**Wolf out!**


End file.
